George j



(No Model.)

G. J. SEABURY.

ADHBSIVEVVPLASTER.

No. 549,296. Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

ATTORNEYi ANDREW BGRANAM. PNUTOMYHQWASKINGTOKDC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE 'J. SEABURY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADHESIVE PLASTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,296, dated November 5, 1895.

Application filed October 3, 1894. Serial No. 5%,847. (N0 specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE J. SEABURY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in a covering or wrapper for medicinal plasters manufactured with rubber combination or other adhesive base and either plain-spread or porous or perforated; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Heretofore medicinal plasters of the variety or class commonly called porous plasters have been made with a linen or cotton covering consisting of three pieces, one of which is commonly called the back cloth, and has usually been made from a single piece of linen or cotton, cut in the same shape as the porous plaster, with the edges left raw and projecting beyond the plaster from one-quarter to one-half inch, which back cloth has been applied to the plaster by gumming it to the back thereof, at the ends or short sides thereof, thus leaving the whole face or surface of the plaster exposed upon removal of the face cloth.

The face cloth has heretofore consisted of two pieces of linen or cotton with rough edges, each a little larger than half the plaster when divided lengthwise. These pieces are applied to the face of the plaster by laying them thereon, so as to leave the edges, where the two pieces meet in the middle of the plaster,

overlapping about one-half inch, the outer edges of the face cloth being even with the edges of the plaster. One of these overlapping edges is then folded back on the piece to which it belongs and the overlapping edge of the other piece is laid upon it.

Before applying a porous plaster to the human body, it is necessary to remove the face cloth, so as to expose the surface of the plaster. This is done by pulling off one half of the face cloth by taking hold of the overlapping edge with one hand and holding the plaster with the other, which exposes one half of the sticky or adhesive surface of the plaster. The other half of the face cloth is removed in the same way, but in order to remove it it is necessary to grasp the sticky surface of the plaster with one hand, when more or less of the surface of the plaster adheres to the hand.

When the plaster is applied to the human body with the whole surface of the plaster exposed, as it is when the face cloth is removed when made with the present form of back cloth, the entire surface of the plaster to the outer edges adheres to the body and is both difficult and painful to remove.

The objects of my improvement are to make it easier and more convenient to remove the face cloth from the plaster, to render it more convenient and less painful to remove the plaster from the human body, and to lessen the cost of production.

My improvement consists of applying the back cloth to the plaster by laying the plaster, face up, on the back cloth, which consists of a single piece of linen, cotton, or other suitable material, cut in the same shape as the plaster, with one ormore sidessay a quarter of an inch, more or lesslarger than the plaster, which edges are then folded over on the face of the plaster, to which they adhere like a binding. This may be done on one or more sides.

The face cloth I make out of one piece of linen, cotton, or other suitable material, of practically the same size as the back cloth. I apply it to the plaster by laying it on the face thereof after the back cloth has been folded over the one or more edges of the plaster, as above described. The object of folding the back cloth over one or more sides of the face of the plaster is to give a firm and cleanly hold of the plaster when removing the face cloth and also in removing the plaster from the body; also, to prevent the plaster, when heated bythe body, from spreading beyond the edges of the back cloth and soiling the clothing. 7

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I have illustrated types thereof in theaccompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan of my improved article, the view showing one corner of the detachable face cloth as stripped from the face of the plaster and turned back in order to more clearly show the construction. Fig. 2 shows an enlarged cross-section taken on a plane indicated byline 2 2, Fig. 1 Fig. 3 shows in plan a portion of one of the articles made in modified form, as hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numbers of reference indicate like parts throughout, 4 is the adhesive layer of medici nal material, and 5 the non-adhesive back of a well-known form of adhesive porous plaster. Now in accordance with my invention this ad hesive plaster is provided with a permanent back cloth (3, which is cut larger than the plaster in order to project beyond the same at one or all of its edges, so that it can be folded around the edge or edges of the plaster, like a binding, and brought over upon the adhesive face thereof, to which it is caused to adhere by being pressed down upon it, as indicated at 7 7 in the drawings. One or more edges of the back cloth may be thus folded around the edge of the plaster and fastened to the adhesive face thereof, though in the drawings I give preference to the securing of either two opposite long edges 7 7, as shown in Fig. 3, or all four edges 7 7, as shown in Fig. 1. This folding of the edges of the back clot-h around the raw edge of the plaster serves t) conceal such raw edgesand to prevent the material of the plaster from exuding from such edges and thereby coming in contact with the clothing of the wearer; but a most important function is found in thus binding the edges of the plaster, in that it affords a ready means of getting hold of the edges thereof with the fingers when it is to be removed from the person, since the edges thus bound will not adhere to the person when applied, but, on the contrary, will always remain free, so that it can be easily grasped and pulled off. It will be observed, also, that the back cloth 6 is permanently attached to the plaster at such parts of the cloth as to come in contact with the ad hesive surface of the plaster and this avoids the necessity of in any way gumming or. securing this cloth to the back of the plaster, as is necessarily the case in some forms of porous plasterheretofore in use. In other words, the folding over of the edges of the back cloth upon the adhesive face of the plaster not only provides a clean free edge on the face of the plaster, but at the same time serves as a means for attaching the back cloth to the plaster.

To the adhesive face a of the plaster is aflixed aface cloth 8, which is cut enough. larger than the plaster to cause it to project beyond the edges of the same at all four sides, as will be clearly understood from the drawings. This face cloth is removably attached to the face of the plaster by being pressed against it, so as to temporarily adhere thereto over the entire adhesive surface which may be left exposed after the edges 7 7 of the back cloth are folded down in place. This completes the article for use in the trade, it being understood that when the plaster is to be applied the user strips off and discards the face cloth 8 previousl y to applying the adhesive face i to the body. It will be noted that an important advantage arising from the provision of a clean and non-adhesive margin 7 7 along the adhcsive face of the plaster is that the user may readily strip off the face cloth by taking an edge of the same between the fingers of one hand, while with the fingers of the other hand he seizes the non-adhesive margin 7 and is enabled to easily strip off the face cloth without having his fingers brought in contact with any of the adhesive substance on the face of the plaster. the invention and I lay special claim to it. A further advantage resulting from this peculiar construction is found in the fact that the back cloth when secured by all four edges to the face of the plaster presents no free raiv edges, so that there is no possibility of this cloth raveling, and since it is a permanent part of the plaster the importance of this is obvious. This form of back cloth enables me to make the face cloth in one piece and to afiix the same to the plaster in one operation instead of in two operations, as is necessary in the present method of making such plasters.

I-Iaving fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patend, is-

1. As a new article of manufacture, an adhesive plaster provided with a back-cloth having one ormore of its edges folded like abinding around the edge or edges of the plaster and over upon the adhesive face thereof and adhering thereto upon such adhesive face, whereby its removal after use is facilitated, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an adhesive plaster provided with a back-cloth having one or more of its edges folded like a binding around the edge or edges of the plaster and over upon the adhesive face thereof and adhering thereto upon such adhesive face, and a removable face-cloth aiiixed to the adhesive surface of the plaster by means of the adhesive substance thereof and covering the same, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. As a new article of manufacture, an adhesive plaster provided with a back-cloth having one or more of its edges folded like a binding around the edge or edges of the plaster and over upon the adhesive face thereof and adhering thereto upon such adhesive face, and a removable face-cloth larger than the plaster so as to project free beyond the edges of the same, said face-cloth being affixed to the adhesive surface, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE J. SEABURY. \Vitnesses WM. J. SAW'YER, Louis WILLIAM DE ZELLER.

This is an important feature of 

